Friday, April 07, 2006

April 2006 Pick: In The Company of Cheerful Ladies

The magic of books is their ability to transport you to another time and place. But the amazing part is that no matter how far you travel or how different someone life experience can seem, human beings are essentially the same the world over. This month, with our pick, “In the Company of Cheerful Ladies” we’ll enter the world of Precious Ramotswe, a Botswana woman who leads a very modern and sensible life.

This is the sixth book in the best-selling “No. 1. Ladies Detective Agency” series. Author Alexander McCall Smith has the amazing and deft talent of crafting compelling characters. He writes about characters we all know and love. They may remind you of your neighbor, your family member or even yourself. In this novel we find, Mma (traditional name for Mrs.) Ramotswe, proprietor of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Gaborone, Botswana, now married to Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, owner of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, and filled with worry over personal problems. At the same time, her assistant, Mma Makutsi, is preoccupied with finding a husband, and it appears that Charlie, the apprentice at the auto shop, has run off with an older woman. Large cups of bush tea remain the main source of relief for thirst and for solving mysteries. Although the agency takes on some criminal cases, most of the plot revolves around the everyday dilemmas of life and that’s what’s most engaging about the story. Join us on Monday, April 24, 2006 at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at SouthPark Mall at 7PM where we’ll have a tea tasting, desserts and great discussion about this delightful book. Please RSVP at http://www.thecharlotteweekly.com

Mrs. McCall Smith is one of the most charming authors, both on paper and in person. I had the delight to meet him last year in New York shortly before we launched our book club. He is charming, gracious and full of amazing stories about his exceptional life and writing career. We have some very exciting exclusive offers for our book club members.

The Charlotte Weekly and Joseph-Beth Booksellers are proud to be co-sponsoring McCall Smith’s only Charlotte appearance at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center on Sunday, April 30, 2005. Readers can get a $5 discount off of tickets by visiting: http://www.blumenthalcenter.org/offer/josephbeth

Before the show, 22 lucky CW Book Club members will get to have a private audience with the author. Tickets to this private event are free but to snag a spot, you’ll need to E-mail me directly at: alisonwoo@yahoo.com